Bicycle races such as BMX races and mountain bike races use a starting gate to line-up competing racers behind a starting line and to prevent individual racers from getting a head-start or other advantage relative to the other racers. To align the racers, the starting gate includes one or more gates that extend(s) generally upright to confine the racers behind the starting line defined by the gate. Prior to the race beginning, the racers line-up behind the gate and press their front wheel against the gate and once the gate drops, the racers are released and the race begins.
Some gates are large enough to line-up eight racers at one time. These gates can be up to twenty four feet long and, as they are typically made with steel or other metal, an individual frame can weigh between 150 to 600 pounds. The gate is powered by one or more actuators that rotate the gate from, typically, a ninety degree orientation to a zero degree orientation in approximately twenty-five hundredths of a second, generating a very large angular velocity. As a result of the high angular velocity and the large weight, the gate has a large inertia and momentum. When the gate hits the ground or other portions of the frame of the starting gate, the gate can make a loud banging noise in excess of 100 db measured in the A scale at the riders position. This noise that can be startling and intimidating to racers, particularly younger racers. This large contact force can also be damaging to the starting gate.
Additionally, because the gate has such large inertia and momentum, objects that accidentally get in the path of the gate can be crushed and damaged. This can be very dangerous if a racer loses his balance and falls over the gate prior to the gate dropping to the zero degree orientation. The gate can cause serious injury to the racer if the gate falls on the racer. This potential injury provides an additional fear to younger racers.
Other starting gates implemented mechanical releases or pneumatically driven individual gates for individual racers with an individual actuator driving each gate. As such, the starting gate could include up to eight individual gates that are driven by eight separate actuators such that if an object were to obstruct the gate as it moves to the zero degree position only the weight and inertia of a single gate would act on the obstruction. However, racers began to learn that they could “drive-through” their individual gate and get an advantage over the other racers as the gates dropped to a bike releasing position. The racer could drive through the gate because to synchronize the individual gates, the actuators were linked to a common exhaust. One racer could push on their gate pushing against the fluid driver actuator and it would push fluid out of the riders actuator and against another racer's actuator through the exhaust. This permitted the rider's gate to begin to transition to the zero degree position while the rest of the gates remained in the upright position. Further, as the racer pushed through his gate, the exhaust from his actuator would back-up in the other actuators and actually inhibit dropping of the other gates.
Further, the start of the race typically uses a starting cadence that prepares the racers for the start of the race. As such, the starting cadence occurs prior to the gate dropping. As the racers became accustomed and familiar with the timing of the cadence, which was typically run from four to seven seconds long, the racers would try to execute a “slingshot.” A slingshot is a maneuver where the racers would actually back their bike off the starting gate and then move forward as the gate begins to drop. This slingshot maneuver has been outlawed and sanctioned by officials because it provides racers an unfair starting advantage and is dangerous.
The slingshot can be dangerous if a racer attempts to slingshot out of the starting gate and does the maneuver too early such that the gate does not drop when expected. The racer's forward momentum can cause the racer to fly over the handlebars of the bike, which remains stationary because of the gate, and topple over the gate. Unfortunately, this frequently positions the racer inline with the gate, which will imminently drop and strike the racer and potentially cause serious injury, as indicated previously. While it is illegal in many races, racers still attempt the maneuver as it can provide a substantial advantage if executed successfully.
There exists, therefore, a need in the art for an improved starting gate and method of operating a starting gate that combat these problems identified above.